The present invention relates generally to the field of batteries (e.g., lead-acid starting, lighting, and ignition batteries such as those used as automotive batteries) and the manufacturing of such batteries. More specifically, the present inventions relate to connectors for use in battery charging or formation operations with batteries having terminals provided on a side surface of such batteries.
When batteries are initially charged in a manufacturing facility (referred to as battery “formation”), it is generally more efficient to simultaneously charge a number of batteries. Accordingly, a number of batteries are typically electrically connected together in series using wires that include contacts or leads on each end of the wire. The wires and contacts connect a positive terminal of a battery to a negative terminal of an adjacent battery. This process is repeated until all batteries are connected together. The first and last battery in the series have a terminal that is not connected to another battery, but rather to a charging or recharging device. For example, the negative terminal of the first battery and the positive terminal of the last battery in the series may be connected to the charging or recharging device. When the charging or recharging device subsequently provides a charge to the batteries, all connected batteries will be charged simultaneously.
Certain batteries are manufactured such that they include side terminals or bushings. Such bushings may be configured such that the battery terminals may be connected to automobile battery cables by threading a portion of the leads of the battery cables into a threaded aperture provided in the terminals or bushings.
Initial charging of side terminal batteries in manufacturing operations may be difficult in that conventional wires and contacts used to connect a series of batteries together involve a threaded contact that is screwed into the threaded battery terminals or bushings. While such a configuration may provide for a relatively secure connection between the contacts and the terminals, one disadvantage of such a configuration is that the connection of a number of batteries may be relatively inefficient in that time and energy is expended to screw a contact into a threaded aperture and to remove it after charging is complete.
Further, during manufacturing operations, several rows of batteries may be placed adjacent to each other, with each row representing one connected series of batteries. The spacing between such adjacent rows may be such that it is difficult or awkward for an operator to reach between the batteries to screw a contact into the battery terminals.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide an improved system for electrically connecting batteries together for a battery charging operation (e.g., a battery formation operation). It would also be advantageous to provide a system for electrically connecting batteries together that is relatively efficient and that provides a relatively secure coupling between contacts and battery terminals in order to avoid undesirable shorting of batteries during charging. It would also be advantageous to provide a system and/or method for electrically connecting batteries that utilizes a relatively simple device that is resistant to various conditions in a manufacturing facility (e.g., exposure to acid, etc.). It would be advantageous to provide a system and/or a method that may be used to obtain one or more of these or other advantageous features